Eleanor looked at the sky full of firelight and was amazed. The Duke's palace was in turmoil, with knights leading their horses in the stables, soldiers putting on armour, and servants running around to pack their things. News of the attack on the North Gate spread throughout the city in an instant, and the Duke of Wickwood ordered a gathering.

"Eleanor, don't be in a daze, follow Sir Roland out of the city!" the Duke of Wykewood, dressed in plate armor, walked over with his helmet in his hand. Eleanor tied the knot of her fur cloak and hurried downstairs, the Duke with her. Sir Roland stood downstairs, his hand on the scabbard with a nervous expression.

"What about you, won't you come with us?" asked Eleanor anxiously.

"No, we're going to defend the inner city. Duke Wakewood looked at the guards as they were ready to go.

"But......," said Eleanor, was about to cry.

There was a neighing of horses, and a group of men galloped outside the Duke's Palace. The Duke of Savalon, riding his plate-armored warhorse, stopped outside the door. Behind him was a young man with blonde hair, stern in appearance and unsmiling. Duke Wickwood stepped forward and took Duke Avalon's horse.

"Is it true that the Knights are attacking?" asked Duke Wickwood.

"Yes, hurry up with your men, they are about to attack the inner city!" shouted the Duke of Savallon, in a loud voice that was not in keeping with his old age. "Conradin, you lead the standard-bearer to open the way, and if you encounter an enemy or a deserter, kill it all!"

Conradin, the Duke of Savallon's heir, nodded, urged his horse around the duke, and led Duke Savallon's guard forward. Duke Wickwood let go of the reins and said to Duke Savallon, "How many troops can the Papal Guard stop? ”

"There are already thousands of people in the city. There are 3,000 members of the Papal Guard, but half of them are now on empty pay! The rest is waiting for reinforcements from outside the city. If the Holy See is in their hands, we will all be doomed!Take your men to Castel Sant'Angelo!" Duke Savaloon shouted, urging his horse forward.

Duke Wickwood turned to look. Both the knights and the servants looked terrified. Eleanor was closest to the Duke, and her blond hair was disheveled and pitiful. The Duke of Wickwood did not care so much, and shouted at Sir Roland: "Escort the young lady out of the city to the castle of Vallena!

"Duke, I can fight for you!" said Sir Roland.

"Execute the order, don't you understand what I said?"

Sir Roland hurried to lead the horse.

Duke Wakewood hugged Eleanor's shoulder. Say, "If I die in the city, you're the Duchess of Wickwood!"

Eleanor cried and said, "Can't you just not be sent to death!"

"If the Holy See falls, it is only a matter of time before the West falls into the hands of the Order. Now we have to rush to the aid of the Holy See. As long as the Knights do not capture Castel Sant'Angelo before reinforcements from outside the city come in, the Knights will be defeated by all of Virginia. The Duke said. Duke Wakewood took Eleanor's hand and watched as Eleanor stepped into the carriage. It was supposed to be morning in Vegia, but the smoke was obscuring the blue sky. The Duke of Wickwood instructed Sir Roland: "If there are too many people fleeing. Got in the way of the young lady. You will cut a path with your sword. ”

"But, duke, they are also people who are fleeing for their lives. Sir Roland spread out his hands.

Duke Wakewood looked at him coldly. "The fate of the Duke of Wickwood is on the young lady, is it the fate of a few civilians or the fate of a million?"

"Understood. ”

The Duke watched as the carriage entered the frantically fleeing stream of people in the streets. Inside the Duke's Palace, the guards were ready. Twenty people, among them was Bode, who was not of aristocratic origin. The shabby armor was a special nuisance among the shiny knights. The Duke didn't care about that at the moment, he preferred to trade ten shiny knights in armor who could only compete in spear for thirty hired horsemen who were skilled in combat.

"Get on the horse. The Duke stepped onto his armoured warhorse. Riders holding pennants with a green background and a golden lion coat of arms were the first to open the way, heading towards the smoke-filled Castel Sant'Angelo. People on the street are turning on their backs. The fleeing citizens of Frost City mingled with the nobles of the west, and the Duke's Guard had to run through them to advance. Bode holds a horsewhip. Whipping refugees who don't give way. Outside the ancient walls of Castel Sant'Angelo, the fire spread to the lower town. Constance stood on the balcony in a white robe, and under the morning sun she watched the fall of the Frost City in agony. The guards of Castel Sant'Angelo crowded to the city gates, which were covered with archers and halberders. The Bishop of Beritz hurriedly walked out onto the balcony, holding the Holy See's holy artifact, the triple crown and the scepter.

"Your Majesty, before the barbarians have yet to attack, go quickly!" said the Bishop of Beritz, sweating.

"No, no Virginian pope would abandon the city and flee in the face of a barbarian invasion. Constance said firmly.

"But there was no enemy attacking the weak northern wall from the sea. The Bishop of Beritz muttered under his breath.

Constance was accompanied by the bishop down the long, gray hanging staircase. The torch was still in a basket on the wall, and the servants who were in charge of it had already fled, and even the Papal Guard was terrified.

Under Castel Sant'Angelo is the Cathedral of St. Canaan, and at this moment the bells of the cathedral are constantly ringing, unlike the piety of the past, the bells at this moment seem to be the death knell of the Holy See. Constance wanted to gather the cardinals in the cathedral, but he didn't expect there to be a single figure.

"Bishop of Berlitz, what about them?" Constance was a little angry. The bishops were supposed to gather in the cathedral in the morning to discuss secular and spiritual matters.

"As soon as they heard that the north gate had been breached, they all ran away. "The Bishop of Beritz was a little helpless.

On the white marble floor, there were only two people, Constance and the Bishop of Beritz. Constance looked at his own reflection on the ground, and was disappointed. "What to do, what to do?" Constance hugged his head.

Footsteps were heard outside the cathedral door, and Henry Gobert, the flag bearer of the Papal Guard, walked in. His blonde hair has a hint of silver underneath, and he is also a member of the Goebel family, a cousin of Constance.

"Your Majesty, we are ready to defend the city. Henry's flag bearer gave a deep salute.

"How many men are there in the Guard?" asked Bishop Beritz for Constance.

"There are four hundred people in Castel Sant'Angelo. ”

"But there are ten thousand enemies outside the city!" said the Bishop of Beritz in a trembling voice.

Henry's eyes showed disdain for the old man, and he said to Constance, "Your Majesty, you can also expect reinforcements from the nobles. ”

"If the bishops are unreliable, can the nobles be trusted?" said Constance hurriedly.

Henry's flag bearer was silent, and just as he was about to say something, a guard broke in and shouted, "Flag bearer, there are dozens of cavalry outside the city gates asking to enter the city, it seems to be the guards of the Duke of Savallon and the Duke of Wickwood!"

Constance ignored the majesty of the Pope and walked briskly down the steps in front of the cathedral. The men of the Duke of Savaloon and the Duke of Wickwood had arrived in the square. The immaculate and holy square was now stained with mud from the hooves of the horses, and the blood dripping from the swords of the cavalry was pouring onto the marble floor.

The Duke of Savalon and the Duke of Wickwood dismounted, and immediately fell to their knees on one leg, and the other knights dismounted and saluted.

"Your Majesty, we have come to defend the Holy See and you, hoping to drag the enemy until reinforcements arrive. Duke Savaloon bowed his head and said.

Constance regained his composure and said slowly in a cold tone: "The Holy See will forever remember your kindness, as well as yours. Constance looked at Duke Wickwood with bright red eyes. "Please get up. The delicate hand waved upward.

The duke and the knights stood up, and Henry's flag bearer stepped forward, bowed his head, and said, "With the help of the two knights, we will definitely be able to hold on." Henry glanced at the papal guards on the city wall, and said, "My men are already discouraged, please let the two knights disperse to the city wall and stabilize the morale of the army." ”

The Duke of Wykewood looked at the forty-yard wall and said, "The walls of the inner city are not long, and the rest of the city is blocked by mountains. Although it seems that there are only a few hundred people, our forces are not weak in the same place. The remaining weakness is the city gate. The duke, wearing iron gloves, pointed to the old oak gate.

"There's no way the Knights can build another catapult in a few hours in the lower town. Henry's flag bearer laughed.

"The rest depends on the prayers of His Holiness the Pope. Said the Duke of Savalon. (To be continued......)